Photographic Sky Surveys

Photographic films and plates of sky survey material are available at all three sites (the chart room at Epping, the map room at the AAT and the UKST plate library). The UKST collection is the most complete.

While simple tasks such as finding charts are probably best done using SuperCOSMOS, APM or the DSS, the photographic material is useful for crowded regions, resolved objects and colour and epoch information.

Available Material

SERC Southern Survey, J band, declination -90 to -20.
Glass plates:  UKSTU.
Films: EPPING, AAT, UKSTU.

SERC Equatorial Survey, J band (EJ), declination -15 to -0.
Films: EPPING, UKSTU.

Palomar Sky Survey, Epoch 1 (POSS I), E and O bands, declination -30 to +90.
Glass plates: UKSTU.
Prints with overlays:  AAT, UKSTU.
Overlays only: EPPING.

Palomar Sky Survey, Epoch 2 (POSS II), B, R and I bands, declination +0 to +90.
Films: B,R,I at UKSTU, B only at EPPING.
Completeness: 89% in B and R, 45% in I-band.

ESO Southern Survey, B band, declination -90 to -20.
Glass plates:  UKSTU.
Films: EPPING, AAT, UKSTU.

ESO Southern Survey, R band, declination -90 to -20.
Films: EPPING, AAT, UKSTU.

SERC Galactic Survey, R and I bands (SR, SI). Covers Galactic Plane and Magellanic Clouds.
Films: EPPING (in library plan drawers), UKSTU.

AAT Archival Plates, AAT, contact Steve Lee (sl@aaocbn.aao.gov.au)

Ray Stathakis

Last Update: 6 February 2003